Monday, July 27, 2015

Blog Tour Review & Giveaway: All We Have Is Now by Lisa Schroeder

Welcome to the tour for All We Have Is Now by Lisa Schroeder! This is a young adult apocalyptic fiction that releases July 28, 2015 by Scholastic. ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

All We Have Is Now by Lisa Schroeder

From the author of THE BRIDGE FROM ME TO YOU, a groundbreaking novel about what matters most — when time is running out.

What do you do with your last day on earth?

There are 27 hours and fifteen minutes left until an asteroid strikes North America, and, for Emerson and everyone else who didn’t leave, the world will end. But Emerson’s world already ended when she ran away from home last year. Since then she has lived on the streets, relying on her wits and her friend Vince to help her find places to sleep and food to eat.

The city’s quieter now that most people are gone, and no one seems to know what to do as the end approaches. But then Emerson and Vince meet Carl, who tells them that he has been granting people’s wishes. He gave his car away so a woman could take her son to see the ocean for the first time, and he gives Emerson and Vince all the money he has in his wallet.

Suddenly this last day seems full of possibility. Emerson and Vince can grant a lot of wishes in 27 hours — maybe even their own.

When I picked up All We Have is Now, I had been on a Lisa Schroeder binge. I had just brought home and read her upcoming Middle Grade novel The Girl in the Tower, which isn't out until 2016. I had LOVED it. I wanted more. More of the story, more words by Lisa. I found my ARC for My Secret Guide to Paris (Feb 2015) and read that next. I made the mistake of thinking I had read it already, but really I had read a two chapter preview early on. So in four days I ended up reading both those books and All We Have Is Now. Honestly, I wish Lisa had a few more books for me to read because I was dying for more! Funny enough Lisa seems to put out multiple books a year so I am being ridiculous

After reading about Violet (Girl in the Tower) and Nora (My Secret Guide to Paris) I was thrilled that I had a copy of All We Have is Now. I admit, I didn't read the jacket flap. As with most books I read, I wanted to be surprised by the story. Jacket flap to me is similar to movie previews in that sometimes they share too much for me to go in to reading a book with no expectations. I started All We Have is Now and boy was I blown away. First of all, I love the name Emerson. I also love that Lisa continually writes books that include poetry and prose.

I enjoyed the change of character perspectives. It was a surprise to read from Carl's perspective as it added another layer to this already amazing story. I think the biggest takeaway from this book was the message of kindness, responsibility and the sharing of your own personal story with others. The personal story sharing actually reminded me of the ending to Corey Ann Haydu's book Life By Committee. The willingness for the characters in this story to share their backgrounds and how they arrived at their mental and physical locations as we came across them was an element that added to the overall story.

I can't say enough good things about this book. Really you should run out and pre-order it RIGHT NOW! And then you should pick up Lisa's other books and pre-order The Girl in the Tower. Go ahead...I'll wait here for you. I'll also be waiting here for Lisa's next book. *sits down*

MAKE A WISH

Make-A-Wish-for-the-Apocalypse- There’s just a little over 24 hours until a meteor is scheduled to hit the US. What do you wish for?

My wish would be to fly home and spend time with my family. Going fishing, riding the Gator, sitting outside on the porch swing and reading and playing board games. I'd read books to my nephews and help my mom make pasta with garlic bread, salad, and for dessert Tirimisu. It's what we have every Christmas, we are Italian, and it's one of my favorite meals. I would climb up into our apple trees and play hide and seek with my nephews.

“Thoughtful, endearing, and surprisingly fun — a reminder of what’s really important in life.” –Suzanne Young, New York Times bestselling author of The Program

“All We Have Is Now is one of those books my teenage self needed — a thoughtfully crafted reminder that every moment is a gift and that we should be kind, especially to ourselves.” –Julie Murphy, author of Side Effects May Vary

“Heartwarming and hopeful. I’d take this book with me to the apocalypse!” –Amy Plum, internationally bestselling author of the Die for Me series

When I was in high school, I had a leadership class where we did lots of different activities and exercises. One of the most memorable ones was when we all sat in a circle and our teacher, Mrs. Smith, said something like: “Imagine the world is going to end in 24 hours. I’d like you to share with us how you would spend those last 24 hours.” What made it so memorable was how emotional people got as they spoke of the ones they love the most, or relatives they hadn’t seen in a while and wouldn’t be able to see again. It wasn’t long before almost everyone was crying. It was strange and kind of eerie, but also wonderful, because it was such a great reminder of what matters most. Of course, the class clown, a kid named Eric, gave us all a break from our tears when it was his turn and he said something like, “I’d find a girl and we would have a fun 24 hours, and that’s all I’m gonna say.”

I’ve always been fascinated with meteors and asteroids. The one that happened over Russia in 2013 was slightly terrifying, seeming to come out of nowhere and creating a huge blast in the sky, injuring over 130 people. As I thought about writing a book that dealt with that question of – how would you spend the last 24 hours – this seemed like a unique premise to play with.

Lisa Schroeder is the author of over a dozen books for kids and teens, including the YA novels I Heart You, You Haunt Me and The Bridge From Me to You. She loves tea and cookies, flowers, family hikes, books and movies that make her laugh and cry, and sunshine. Living in Oregon, she doesn’t get nearly enough sunshine, but the hikes are amazing. You can visit her online at www.lisaschroederbooks.com on Twitter at @lisa_schroeder.